Found via Stephen’s Lighthouse:

I grew up turning in my homework assignments online and using online chat rooms as study groups with fellow classmates. And it worked for me. It worked real well. I love the Internet, online communication and Facebook because these technologies allow me to do what I do best: multitask. Since I've been trained by and with these new technologies, I am"”face it"”better suited for the new work environment than you old folk. Even you old folk are beginning to realize that collaboration is a better way to leverage information to produce services, products, whatever. But while you think of collaboration theoretically, I live it and breathe it. And, unlike you, change doesn't bother me. I love it.

This quote is from an article in CIO entitled In Defense of Gen Y Workers by Jarina D'Auria CIO Magazine's 21 year old Editorial Assistant.

The first commenter seems offended by Jarina’s tone throughout the article - but it made me laugh and Stephen who I think will admit is one of the “old folk” that Jarina mentions loved it too! The fact is that while Jarina’s generalizations about “old folk” are a form of turn-around. We’re constantly hearing that Gen Yers are spoiled, lazy, etc etc etc. And maybe that’s true of some just like maybe some of the “old folk” can’t use computers - but I’ve seen plenty of Boomers in the library world making amazing strides at innovation and learning technologies that I’ve never even heard of!

So - if you’re going to read Jarina’s article - don’t take offense - instead listen to what she’s saying about herself and learn from it - and remember that not all Gen Yers are the same - just as not all Boomers are the same.

Technorati Tags: gen y, millenials

I don’t know the answer to this, but it seems to me that people all over feel that undergrads today have no idea how to use the library or library resources. I got the impression from an attendee at the NFAIS Humanities Rountable last month that he felt that students were too lazy or that they just didn’t understand real research. Then at my training class on Friday an attendee there said that her students can never find things and she just wants to make it as easy as possible - she felt that seeing a link to a resource and a call number for that same resource was too much information for their tiny little heads to bother with.

Now - was it just because I was destined to be a librarian that I knew how to use these tools when I was an undergrad … was it because my mother showed me how to use library resources as early as middle school by taking me to the local university to use their collections for my research? Was it that Juniata offered and intro to library resources type course (it wasn’t just that - it had more meat to it - but it did have a bit on the library)?

I don’t know the answer - but I get a bit annoyed with the dismissive attitude towards undergrads. I think we need to give them more credit - or teach them better/sooner how to use these tools. And yes, they’re lazy - but news flash - human beings are lazy! We want the easiest/quickest way to get the solution - but that doesn’t mean that all undergrads are a lost cause …

Just a little Monday afternoon rant from me (the librarian in the academic library without many undergrads).

I was looking for a page defining what a Millennial was for a friend and I came across this article from 2 years ago that I think hits the nail on the head - not for her purposes, but for mine. The article is from http://www.ltimagazine.com/ltimagazine and it’s titled “Millennial” Learning: On Demand Strategies for Generation X and Beyond.

The article talks about what employers need to provide in order to keep their Millennial employees.

According to the staffing firm Spherion, five core factors significantly influence whether employees stay or go: culture and work environment, compensation, supervisor role, and - the two retention drivers indicating employers need to focus on employee development - training and development, and growth and earning potential. Spherion’s study indicates employers are scoring low with workers in these areas. Today’s new breed of workers requires an adapted approach to employee development.

In order to build suitable training for today’s learner, organizations must tailor training by addressing key characteristics of this new breed. Research reveals that today’s younger worker values:

• Relevant development
• Rich experiences
• Flexibility
• Community
• Technology
• Instant results

(Emphasis added by me)

I’ve had this very conversation with many Millennials (including myself). We want to learn - at least those I talk to want to learn (there are always black sheep). There is always this mentality among employers that if you train someone to do something new, they’re going to leave and do that something somewhere else - and that is a risk, but at the same time, if I’m not allowed to learn something new (which I am!) then I’m going to look elsewhere.

Just an interesting little article I thought I’d share with you all.

Are we slackers or are we tough cookies? Can we really be both? What am I talking about? I just read this article from Fortune on Attracting the 20-something worker.

One minute I’m happy to be a 20-something (even if I am closer to 30 than 20 now) - and the next I want to bury my head in the sand. This is a great article, even though it made me want to wring the author’s (who turned out to be a 20-something herself) neck sometimes.

The good (as I see it):

They’re ambitious, they’re demanding and they question everything, so if there isn’t a good reason for that long commute or late night, don’t expect them to do it. When it comes to loyalty, the companies they work for are last on their list - behind their families, their friends, their communities, their co-workers and, of course, themselves.
…
“This is the most high-maintenance workforce in the history of the world,” says Bruce Tulgan, the founder of leading generational-research firm RainmakerThinking. “The good news is they’re also going to be the most high-performing workforce in the history of the world. They walk in with more information in their heads, more information at their fingertips - and, sure, they have high expectations, but they have the highest expectations first and foremost for themselves.”
…
To get noticed by Gen Yers, a company also has to have what they call a “vision.” They aren’t impressed by mission statements, but they are looking for attributes that indicate shared values: affinity groups, flat hierarchies, divestment from the more notorious dictatorial regimes.
…
No one joins a company hoping to do the same job forever. But these days even your neighborhood bartender or barista aspires to own the place someday.
…
And twentysomethings can thrive when given real responsibility. Mark Meussner, a former Ford manager, remembers one instance when, faced with a serious manufacturing problem and two young engineers begging for the chance to solve it, he took a chance on them. He gave them one more-experienced person as a counselor, and they made what he estimates was a $25 million impact by solving a problem that had proved intractable for a decade. The success spawned a slate of company-sponsored initiatives led by more-junior staffers. Says Meussner: “We need to use 100 percent of an employee - not just their backs and minds, but their innovation, enthusiasm, energy and fresh perspective.”

The bad (as I see it):

When it comes to Gen Y’s intangible characteristics, the lexicon is less than flattering. Try “needy,” “entitled.” Despite a consensus that they’re not slackers, there is a suspicion that they’ve avoided that moniker only by creating enough commotion to distract from the fact that they’re really not that into “work.”
…
Never mind that they often need an entire team - and a couple of cheerleaders - to do anything. For some of them the concept “work ethic” needs rethinking.
…
“If we don’t like a job, we quit,” says Jason Ryan Dorsey, the 28-year-old author of 2007’s “My Reality Check Bounced!,” “because the worst thing that can happen is that we move back home. There’s no stigma, and many of us grew up with both parents working, so our moms would love nothing more than to cook our favorite meatloaf.”
…
Subha Barry, global head of diversity, recalls running into a colleague having lunch with a potential summer recruit and someone she didn’t know. It turned out to be the boy’s mother.

“If somebody would have said to me, ‘You’re interviewing for a job somewhere, and you’re going to bring your mother to the closing, decision-making lunch,’ I would’ve said, ‘You’ve got to be crazy,’” she says, wagging a finger. “But I tell you, his mother was sold. And that boy will end up at Merrill next summer. I can guarantee that.”

The silly (as I see it):

The kids - self-absorbed, gregarious, multitasking, loud, optimistic, pierced - are exactly what the boomers raised them to be, and now they’re being themselves all over the business world.
…
Gen Yers always seem to be at the gym. More than a third of 18- to 25-year-olds surveyed by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press have a tattoo, and 30 percent have a piercing somewhere besides their earlobe. But those are considered stylish, not rebellious.

And speaking of fashion, this isn’t a group you’ll catch in flannel. They’re all about quiet kitsch - a funky T-shirt under a blazer, artsy jewelry, silly socks - small statements that won’t cause trouble.

The fact is - that through the generalizations (I have no tattoos, no piercings other than ears, I do own and wear flannel, my mother did not come on any interviews with me, and quitting my job and moving home is not an option) a pretty good picture comes out of this article. We’re ambitious, we’ll work if you let us, we’ll speak our minds and we have our priorities straight (family always come before work - no matter what!).

It’s a good read - and I’ve only given you a tiny piece of it here - so, feel free to read it for yourself.

On the opposite end of things (I’m referring to my last post from a few minutes ago) - what can managers do to keep new employees motivated? Ryan Healy writes at Brazen Careerist about 7 ways to motivate your millennial employees.

What an amazing list! And a great guide for managers.

One that strikes home for me is #6, Be my friend. I had a manager once (long long ago) who sat me down and told me that we couldn’t be friends - yes, he actually said that - he said it wasn’t appropriate for managers to be friends with their employees and that one day, when I became a manager I’d understand. Well, I can tell you that just ain’t so! I’m friends with the employee I manage and it has worked out just great. Giving a little respect to those who work under you can make all of the difference in the way they complete their work.

Other great tips:

1. Be Spontaneous
You don't have to make any drastic changes. Something as small as going out for a long lunch with a few co workers could be enough to keep me from going insane in my cubicle. If you want to get a little crazy, tell me to go home at 1pm every once in a while - and really mean it. If I think you don't really mean it, I won't use it. Even holding a scheduled meeting in a different location, like a local coffee shop or deli can throw a wrench in the status quo.

5. Keep me in the loop
Not having any idea about major business events on the horizon can be really frustrating. I realize there is often confidential information that needs to stay in the hands of upper management, but I want to understand where I fit in. For example, if I'm on the iMac team then it's fine if you don't tell me about the iPhone. But if you want me to do work on the iPhone, you have to tell explain to me what I'm working on. If you don't trust me to keep confidential information confidential, you should fire me.

Read the entire list and share it with those around you (not just managers).

Technorati Tags: career, millennials

When I was at Internet Librarian I had a chance to have a very interesting conversation about the newest generation (GenY, Millenials, whatever you call them) with Stephen Abram.

He stated that I was a Millennial - but that my husband was a GenXer (even though we were born in the same year) - based on a few details I provided for him. At first, I was a little annoyed - because this meant I was lumped in with the younger generation - and I’m tired of being the young one, but I just started reading Abram’s article for the Texas Library Journal entitled “Millennials: Deal With Them!” in which he states:

First, we must discard the idea that this is somehow a damaged generation. It is largely a myth that they are performing more poorly in their education. As a matter of fact, their performance is ahead of previous generations. They may be underperforming on some fronts internationally, but they are not the lesser of the older peers. Secondly, there is a growing body of research that their IQ’s, their raw ability to access and use their intelligence has grown markedly and at a level of statistical significance. MRI studies of their brains show that they use a greater degree and balance of their brains and have greater physical capacity through increased ganglia and folds of their brains. The majority of their education has been reinvented and shows great promise. They have, among others, better team skills, speaking and articulation skills, problem-solving and process management skills. Alternatively, they have weak general knowledge and fact skills. This is not necessarily bad. Actual facts decay rapidly in today’s world. The Periodic Table is not the same as it was when we went to school. Indeed, the number of planets has changed; the maps of nations mutate on a seemingly daily basis; most knowledge is quite malleable in context today. Indeed, many Boomers believe strongly that water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit and all humans’ internal body temperature is 98.6oF. Since this isn’t true most of the time, it seems that building a generation to access facts and information on demand is a better solution n a complex world.

I don’t feel so bad anymore - you can all think I’m a young’un if it means I get to be lumped in with a group that has “better team skills, speaking and articulation skills, problem-solving and process management skills.” I’m off to finish the article - but so far, it seems like a worthwhile read.

Oh - and on a last note - Abram was also right about my husband - even though we were born the same year (me before him), we are part of different generations - and it’s probably due to the households we grew up in and the locations we went to school - or whatever, but he’d be the first to tell you that he does not quite fit in this mold the way I do. How very confusing it all is!

For our last keynote of the week we had Lee Raine, Director of PEW Internet & American Life Project. Lee started out by asking us who was going to be blogging this and there were actually fewer hands than I had expected - he said it was a couple dozen, but it didn’t look like that from where I was sitting. He was asking as a segway into showing us what other bloggers had written - the funniest had to be a presentation where people were chatting live while he was talking - not too bad, except that the chat was up on the screen behind him, so when someone wrote “He’s older than I thought” the entire audience broke out laughing. After this Lee asked us to be kind — I guess it’s good that he gave a very interesting presentation

Apparently his speech was altered by the most recent Time magazine cover (which I saw at the grocery store today). The cover reads “Are kids too waired for their own good?” It’s an article about the Mellenials or Generation M (M for media). Apparently this generation spans 1982-2000, but I can’t see that it really spans that wide a time range - my sisters were born in 82 and I don’t think of them on the same level (technology and wired wise) as the people that Lee talked about - maybe we were in the minority growing up. Lee said that millenials “are not tech-savvy, they are tech-embracing” which is an interesting way to put it. Just because your 5 year old uses the computer more than you doesn’t necessarily mean he knows more about how it’s working.

There were other characteristics of Generation M that Lee mentioned that I thought - well that’s true for me too - like the fact that things like TV programs and radio programs no longer control their schedules. If they want to watch Survivor they don’t have to stay home - they can watch it on their mobile device (maybe) or Tivo it and watch it another time.

Millenials are observed to have “continuous partial attention” - they are always scanning for the best thing to do, see, buy - which is not to be confused with multi-tasking - which they are also very good at.

What does all of this mean to us as librarians? Well these are the people that a public libraries have to draw in - and the people that we (law libraries) will be dealing with in a year or two - if we’re not already. The way these people will approve learning and research will be shaped by their techno-world and if we don’t understand and embrace it they’re going to find another - probably less reliable - way to do their research.

Overall a very interesting presentation - rich with statistics and presented by someone who was obviously at ease on stage.

Technorati Tags: cil2006, cil06